Broken
by Jwelstone
Summary: Have you ever imagined how Inuyasha would react if Kagome broke an appendage?Inu/Kag
1. Prologue: The Accident

I know what some of you may be thinking, do I really need to start a new story when I've already got two still in progress. But this idea wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down. But this is just a side story, something to get my muse working for the main one. So, I hope you guys enjoy reading!

**DISCLAIMER: - I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters, the complete copywrite belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. **Phew! Now that that's outta my system...

* * *

_**Broken**_

_**The Accident**_

"One, two, three, ten!" Shippou cried out as he happily bounded out of the hut. What? He was a kid…he didn't know how to count…

"Ready or not! Here I come!" he yelled out the warning before sticking his nose in the air and sniffing around.

It was a nice, warm summer day and the gang was playing a good relaxing game of combat hide and seek because normal hide and go seek was just too damn easy for the demons in the group.

The kitsune's eyes lit up when he caught the demon slayer's scent. She wasn't hiding too far off, he moved stealthily in the direction the scent was the strongest. Well as stealthily as he could in his current hyperactive state, "Sango I found you!"

Inuyasha sighed from his place on the highest branch of the tree he was hiding in, damn runt. How many times had Kagome told him not to tell people they'd been found. It defeated the whole purpose of the game; they could just find another place to hide.

Kagome had taught the game to them yesterday night when Shippou wanted something else to do because he was bored with his crayons. Inuyasha could see why, all Shippou ever drew were flowers and rainbows and Kagome. Drawing Kagome he could understand, but what was with the flowers and rainbows? He was supposed to be a _male demon_ damnit!

"Kagome you're it!" the hanyou heard Shippou squeal excitedly.

"Ok Ok" he heard Kagome say good naturedly, "I'll count, you go and hide"

"Feh!" the wench probably let him find her, the soft hearted idiot.

He jumped down from his branch and scouted for a hiding place closer to where Kagome was counting. This game was too easy for him, no one ever found him. He was just too good. Kagome was the only one who ever got close enough to find him, but maybe that was because he was always somewhere nearby…

"Ready or not here I come!" he heard her shout as he settled for hiding behind a blueberry bush, all the while keeping his eyes and ears trained on her every move.

Kagome looked around, nothing but trees and bushes. No sign of movement, not even the sound of a twig snapping. Playing with her feudal era friends was so much more difficult than playing this game with her loud, giggly school friends back home. She walked deeper into the forest, being as careful and quiet as was possible, but the crunching sound when she stepped on dry leaves didn't help any. This could take a while…

A sudden rustling from the bushes caught her attention and she started walking toward the source of the noise.

"Shippou?" she called out tentatively, "Inuyasha?"

"Gah!!"

Inuyasha's ears perked up when he heard Kagome call out his name, but he wasn't expecting the scream that followed.

"Kagome?!" he asked, jumping out of his hiding place, his hand hovering over his sword. There was Kagome…with an overgrown demon spider on her chest…with acid spit leaking out of its mouth...

"Get it off me!!" She screamed, trying to dislodge it herself with her hands.

"Shh, calm down wench, stay still" Inuyasha coaxed, walking slowly toward her with his arm outstretched. He didn't want to startle it into spraying its acid on her.

"Calm down?!" she shouted incredulously, trying to pry the disgusting bug off of her with her nails, "Are you crazy?! I've got a huge, man eating spider on me in case you didn't notice!"

Inuyasha resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "I highly doubt it eats humans, now stop that before you hurt yourself"

As if right on cue, Kagome dug her nails into the spider and managed to rip it off her, flinging the bug away in the process. The action causing her to lose control of her arm from the amount of force she'd used, making it go hit against a tree…real hard.

"Oh shit!!" she cried, immediately cradling her injured arm to her chest and sinking down to the ground, her legs starting to give way.

"Kagome?" the hanyou crouched down next to her, trying to get her to let go of her arm so he could take a look at it, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" she lied, screwing her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to subside, once it finally started to numb, her eyes fluttered open, blinking the tears, that had started to pool, away.

"Let me see" Inuyasha reached for her arm, he only so much as touched it when Kagome started screaming again.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Kagome scrunched up her eyes as the pain started all over again.

* * *

"Kagome are you alright?"

"Of course she's not alright you stupid runt, now shut up!"

"Inuyasha" Kagome warned, just because she was hurt didn't mean Inuyasha could shout at Shippou. Her arm was really starting to worry her. It was starting to turn red and swollen. The pain seemed go down when she kept it still but it flared up again with a vengeance whenever she tried moving it.

The others, even Kaede, were all afraid to come too close to her, for fear of making her injury worse and also because of the short tempered, on edge half demon sitting next to her giving all of them a 'Don't you dare' glare. How Inuyasha managed to get her to the old priestess's hut was a miracle. Too bad she couldn't remember, too caught up in the pain to notice.

"Maybe you should take her back to her time Inuyasha" Miroku suggested, the atmosphere in the hut was too tense and uncomfortable for his liking, "They have better medicines there, they could probably heal Kagome's injury better than we could" '_If you'd let us'_ he added silently.

Inuyasha looked from Miroku to Kagome's arm, "Don't do anything stupid while we're not here!" he warned gruffly before standing up and taking his fire rat haori off. He folded it up and rapped it around Kagome's arm as gently as he could, his mouth tightening every time she winced. He used the sleeves to tie the make shift sling around her neck, "Is that alright?" he asked her, stepping back a bit.

Kagome waited for the pain to subside before answering, "Yeah, its fine" she gave him one of her heart melting smiles, "Thank you Inuyasha"

"Keh" he blushed, "Let's get going"

* * *

"Oh my goodness! What happened to you two?" Mrs. Higurashi asked on opening her front door.

Standing before her was Kagome and Inuyasha, both covered with sweat, her daughter was looking very uncomfortable and Inuyasha seemed to be gritting his teeth, a look of pure guilt etched on his face. The only thing stopping her from jumping to the normal conclusion was the big red sling her daughter's arm was in.

"I hurt my arm mama" Kagome stated, going inside when her mother stepped aside to let them in.

"How did that happen?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"We were playing hide and seek mama and I was it…" Kagome started to say before Inuyasha interrupted.

"She was being clumsy and hit her arm against a tree"

Kagome glared at him, "I was telling the story"

"We don't have time for that damnit!" the hanyou snapped, "We need to get your injury healed before it gets worse"

Kagome sighed, how could she stay mad at him when he was so worried about her.

"We won't be able to defeat Naraku if you have just one arm"

Staying mad was pretty easy actually...

* * *

"Well Miss Higurashi, I've got your X-ray results" the doctor said, opening the big brown envelope.

Inuyasha growled at him, receiving another warning glare from Kagome. Honestly, she should never have brought Inuyasha to the hospital with her. In the span of the one hour they've been there, he'd managed to issue death threats to almost anyone who even looked at her, including the nurse at the reception, poor lady, the miko hoped she was out of shock by now, and he almost destroyed the X-ray machine with Tetsusaiga, and now he was sending the doctor death glares as well. Did he want to go to jail or something?

The doctor was oblivious to the hanyou currently wishing him dead, and clipped the X-Ray to the light board and switched it on.

"Ooh" he said, studying the X-ray, "Doesn't look too good"

Inuyasha actually snarled at the doctor, "Just tell us what's wrong damnit!"

The man turned to stare at him, not helping Inuyasha's agitated state of mind at all. For a doctor, this man had very little sense of self preservation.

"He's just worried about my daughter" Mrs. Higurashi cut in, successfully saving the puny man's life because the doctor stopped looking at him. Inuyasha grunted, weak human. "What seems to be the problem doctor?"

"It looks like your daughter has a broken arm" he said, taking the X-ray down and sliding it back into the envelope.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome and equally horrified looks on their faces, "A broken arm?!" they both cried out simultaneously.

"How can her arm be broken?!" the hanyou cried out in panic, "Does that mean she can't use it again?"

"How long will it take to heal?" Kagome asked at the same time.

"No no, don't worry Inuyasha, she'll be able to use it again, they'll just bind up her arm in a cast and fix the bones that are broken" Mrs. Higurashi assured him.

Inuyasha let out a relieved sigh, some of the color returning to his face.

"It'll take two months to heal" the doctor answered Kagome's question, while telling a nurse to bring him an arm cast over the intercom.

"Two months?!"

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. Her daughter and future son-in-law could be such drama queens…

* * *

AN: - Well, There you go my peeps, the first chapter's kinda like a prologue, so that's why it would have seemed a little rushed. The next chapter's where the real fun begins...

Oh and, for anyone who's still wondering, they were all sweaty and tensed because Kagome was in pain, Inuyasha hated to see her in pain and getting her through the well and out of it, was exhausting for both of them.

Please read and review.

Till next time...


	2. The Cast

_**Broken**_

_**The Cast**_

"Tell me Kagome" Doctor Taro said, "Which one do you want?"

Kagome stared at him, did it really matter? "Uh…blue?"

"Right, blue it is then" he rubbed his hands together before reaching out for her arm.

Inuyasha really wanted to rip the man currently holding Kagome's arm to shreds and _then_ stomp on the pieces. The retarded man was actually asking her what color cast she wanted…was he crazy?! Who the hell cared?! Suddenly Inuyasha was very scared; what if that deranged moron did something to make Kagome's injury worse!

Inuyasha growled, but quietened down when the miko sent him another warning glare and then promptly yelled out in pain "Ow!!"

"Just bear with it Kagome, it'll be over soon" Doctor Taro said in a reassuring voice. Kagome nodded and bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming again. Inuyasha might just carry out the death threat he was yelling out to everyone before.

Doctor Taro, very gently, wrapped her injured arm in cotton and after wrapping about three or four layers, he pulled at it to tighten the wrap. After placing the cotton role aside, he took out the blue fiberglass cast that had previously been soaking in a trough of water and shaped it around Kagome's arm, smoothing it closed, making sure it wasn't too tight.

"Well, there we go" Doctor Taro said, drying his hands off on a tissue, "All done"

The hanyou was at Kagome's side in an instant, asking her whether it still hurt and sniffing at the cast slightly to make sure it was safe.

"Its fine Inuyasha" Kagome told him for the tenth time, "The cast will protect my arm, it won't hurt anymore"

Inuyasha bristled a little when the miko said that the cast would protect her. That was stupid; _he _would be the one protecting her. Only him, and he wasn't letting her get hurt again, even if he had to take out all the trees in the forest…

"Now, there's just a few things you need to take care of while your wearing the cast" Doctor Taro started to say, "Make sure it doesn't get wet, a wet cast loses its purpose so if it does get wet then you need to come back here to get another one"

Inuyasha's ears were on high alert under the cap he was wearing; he wasn't going to miss anything the doctor was saying. He was going to take care of Kagome, and make sure her arm healed properly.

"Now, I've made sure the cast isn't too tight but if it feels like its too tight, it's probably because of some swelling. You need to get the cast loosened immediately. And if your arm or fingers start to turn blue or they get red and dry, come here immediately, because the cast has to be taken off pronto"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, wasn't the cast supposed to _protect_ her arm? Not cut off her blood circulation damnit! Why was every damn thing out to hurt her? First it was the tree and now the cast…fucking inanimate objects!

"Have you gotten all of that?" Doctor Taro asked, interrupting Inuyasha's mental tirade.

"Y-Yeah" Kagome said, a little distracted by the sudden murderous look Inuyasha was currently wearing. What the hell was he thinking?

"Well, thank you doctor" Mrs. Higurashi said, standing up, "When should we come to take it off?"

"Well..." The doctor swiveled his chair around and studied the calendar hanging on the wall, "It's April now so I suppose it can be taken off in June…on the sixteenth"

"Alright then, thank you again" Kagome's mother said as she helped her daughter up. Having just one functional arm caused serious balance problems.

Once they were outside the doctor's office, Inuyasha scooped Kagome up in his arms in one fluid motion before she had time to blink.

"Inuyasha!" she shrieked, the sudden change in position startling her, "What do you think your doing?" she asked in a calmer voice, but with Kagome, that usually meant danger…

"Carrying you, isn't it obvious wench?" the hanyou replied, completely ignoring Kagome's glare. Keh, maybe having a broken arm made her get mood swings. He shrugged it off.

"I am not an invalid, my arm's broken, not my leg! Put me down" She sighed when he kept walking, well…she tried. She spent the rest of the walk out of the hospital building trying to hide her face with her cast…and failing miserably. Every time she so much as twitched her injured arm, Inuyasha gave her a reprimanding look and growled a warning. Hmph! Stupid Inuyasha…

The miko let out a sigh of relief when they finally made it to her mom's car. Inuyasha let her down, albeit a little reluctantly and opened the door for her. After Kagome slid inside, Inuyasha scooted in and pulled shut the door.

Kagome looked out the tinted window as the car pulled out of the hospital parking lot. That's when she felt Inuyasha staring at the back of her head.

"What?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"I-I'm s-s, shit! I'm sorry ok" His eyes were so intense and they were boring into hers. Kagome felt her heart beat quicken, honestly, the effect he had on her... She gulped and took a deep breath before smiling.

"Inuyasha, we both know it wasn't your fault" Kagome said softly before glaring at him again, "So stop blaming yourself!"

"Feh" Inuyasha grunted. His Kagome was too forgiving, "I'll be the one taking care of you until your arm heals" he stated gruffly before turning to look out his window, "You won't get hurt again"

Kagome stared at him, her eyes going wide…Inuyasha…was…what!?

Oh kami…she was so dead.

Mrs. Higurashi chuckled softly. These two months just got a lot more interesting.

* * *

Kagome stuck her tongue out at Inuyasha before crossing her arms…well arm, in a huff as the hanyou carried her up the shrine steps. She knew she was being unreasonable, Inuyasha _was_ just trying to help but she didn't feel like being mature right now, especially when she had two full months of his insane protectiveness to deal with…oh boy.

"Dad we're home!" Mrs. Higurashi called as she opened her front door and stepped aside for Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Well, it's about time" the old man grumbled, folding up the newspaper, "What did the doctor say?"

"Kagome's arm is broken" Mrs. Higurashi said, going into the kitchen to make some tea, "she's going to be home for two months, till it heals"

"Inuyasha! Put me down!" Her grandfather and mother watched them, with amused expressions on their faces as the hanyou carried a struggling Kagome up the stairs to her room, "Don't make me S-I-T you!" they heard her shout as the door slammed shut.

"I wonder if my grand kids will have his ears…" Mrs. Higurashi mused to herself. Her father chuckled.

* * *

"No"

"But Inuyasha…"

"No buts Kagome, I said no" the half demon growled.

"But I have to" the miko whined.

"You don't have to do anything wench"

"I'm all dirty" she pouted at him.

"You're not taking a bath Kagome and that's final!"

"Why the heck not!?"

"Don't you remember what the doctor said?" he asked her, when all she did was stare back at him he sighed, "You shouldn't get the cast wet Kagome"

"So I can't take a bath for two months? Is that what you're saying?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

Inuyasha gulped but stood his ground, "Yes"

She glared at him, opened her mouth wide and…

Inuyasha braced himself for the impact…

"Mama!!"

"Eh?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, she was calling her mother? Hn, it must be the broken arm…it was making her loopy.

"What is it honey?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, coming inside.

Her daughter pointed an accusing finger at Inuyasha, "_He _won't let me take a bath"

Mrs. Higurashi tried hard not to snicker; they were just such a cute couple!

"Why can't she take a bath Inuyasha?" she asked her future son-in-law, making him grunt.

"Her cast will get wet" he stated. Ha! I can't believe she thought calling her mother was going to help her. She would have been better off with the 'sit' command.

"Oh, that's not a problem" Mrs. Higurashi stated cheerfully as she beckoned Kagome to follow her, "We'll just wrap it up in a plastic bag and you can take a bath no problem"

Kagome squealed, "Thank you mama!" she stuck her tongue out at Inuyasha, again, before following her mother downstairs.

Inuyasha stared after them. Hmmm…he wasn't expecting that…

He snapped out of his reverie a few seconds later before running after them.

"Hey! You shouldn't be walking wench!"

* * *

Kagome glared at Inuyasha, she was doing quite a lot of that today... The good mood she was in after having that nice long relaxing bath was deteriorating very _very _quickly

"Inuyasha" she started, "What are you doing?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?!" the half demon growled, he seemed to be doing that quite a lot today as well.

"Because you keep doing things I don't understand and it's scaring me!" she yelled, waving her good arm around.

The hanyou raised an eyebrow, "What's not to understand about this?" she heard sniggering, "I'm feeding you"

Souta couldn't take it anymore, he started laughing and boy, did he laugh…he was snorting away into his ramen.

It was dinnertime and everyone was seated at the dining table. They were having ramen for dinner on account of Inuyasha demanding it. It was bad enough he had to carry her from the living room to the dining area…it was just a few steps away for crying out loud! But this?! This was mortifying!

Kagome glared at her little brother, she couldn't believe he was laughing at her pain…and so loudly too. She hoped he didn't choke on his spit…

"Now open your mouth wench" Inuyasha ordered as he brought a spoon full of noodles close to her chin.

Oh sure she'd dreamed about him feeding stuff to her…but those were more along the lines of chocolates or grapes…there was nothing romantic about _this_!

Kagome sighed and opened her mouth resignedly as the hanyou shoveled the instant noodles into her mouth after blowing on it to cool it to the right temperature. If she wasn't in such a pissed off mood, that gesture would have made her smile…Aw, what the heck, the corners of her lips tugged upward.

"Chew faster wench" Inuyasha said blowing on the second spoon of noodles, "I need to eat my ramen before it gets cold"

And he did it again, seriously, it's like he had a gift for it or something.

The miko glanced at her brother who was still chortling away, didn't he need to like breathe or something?

Kagome opened her mouth for the second spoon of ramen. She promised herself she was never going to break her arm, or any other part of her body for that matter, ever again.

_If_ she managed to survive these two months, that is…

* * *

AN: - Aww! Poor Kagome...I almost pity her. Muahahahah!!...ok..I'm done.

A huge **Thank you** to all my reviewers!! I love you guys!! :-D

This was a pretty fast update but the next one might take a while. Why? Because life's getting in the way! Stupid life...

Please read and review,

Till next time...


	3. The Homework

_**Broken**_

_**The Homework**_

"Wow" Kagome sighed, "It sure is hot today"

A growl from beside her alerted her to the fact that she was trying to slip a finger through the gap in her cast to itch her arm.

The miko sighed again. It's been two weeks since that day she broke her arm and frankly she was sick of the stupid cast. Apart from hampering her balance and making her clumsier than she already was, it was making her arm feel very uncomfortable now that the temperature was going up, it being summer now.

But on the upside, Inuyasha _had_ started to become a little less protective; at least he let her walk now, provided it was a flat surface. He considered the stairs too dangerous for her to climb on her own, but hey, something was better than nothing right?

The hanyou beside her yawned, his sharp fangs glinted in the sunlight filtering in through her window. Kagome giggled slightly.

"You can go down and watch T.V or something if you're bored Inuyasha"

"Yeah right!" he snorted, "You'll probably break you're other arm too if I leave you alone, no way, ain't gonna happen"

Kagome huffed in annoyance; this was a rather new development. Or maybe she just noticed it a few days ago but Inuyasha was always there wherever she was; never leaving her side unless she needed to use the bathroom but even then he was right outside the door.

Her mother told her to humor him and that he was only acting like this because he was worried about her but she was starting to feel suffocated, like he was a second shadow or something.

"Inuyasha, I am not going to break my other arm, I am just going to sit here on this bed and wait for my friends"

Yes, she was waiting for her loud, giggly friends, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi who had generously volunteered to drop off Kagome's homework after school. Kagome secretly guessed that it was only to see her 'rude arrogant boyfriend' again.

"Speaking of your friends, where the hell are they?!"

"They should be here in a few minutes and stop yelling in my ear!"

"Why? You do it all the time" he mumbled, but Kagome heard him anyway.

"What was that?" she snarled.

"Kagome!" her mom called out from downstairs, "Your friends are here!"

The hanyou sighed in relief; he never thought he'd actually feel grateful for the miko's annoying friends, but he sure was now.

"Kagome!" he heard three squeals as three girls, wearing the same clothes that Kagome usually wore, came bursting in through the door.

"Hey guys" Kagome managed to get out over their squawking.

Then, all of them started talking at once and Inuyasha had to pin his ears down under the cap he was wearing. Kagome threw him a helpless look from inside the circle her friends had barricaded her with and the hanyou sighed. Seriously, what would she do without him?

"Shut the hell up!" he yelled, making the room go very quiet, "You are not helping Kagome's broken arm by talking at her like that, so give her the damn homework and get out of here"

Kagome hit her forehead with the hand attached to her good arm; she needed to teach him what 'tact' was one of these days.

"Kagome" the girl with the headband said, grinning widely, "Looks like you've gotten closer to your boyfriend now"

"Yeah, you've got him taking care of you and everything" the girl with the short hair was wearing an identical grin.

"Aww, come one guys, I think its sweet he cares about her so much" the girl with curly hair piped up. She gave Inuyasha a warm smile.

"W-What?" the miko stuttered, she was blushing crimson by now, "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Inuyasha was blushing as well, on second thought, he wasn't all that grateful at all.

"Keh"

"Alright alright" The girl with the headband said, "We'll leave you two _alone_"

Kagome sighed, why was she friends with them again?

"Here's your homework Kagome" Yuka handed her a folder.

Oh yeah, this was why.

"We'll leave" Eri started saying as she dug in her backpack for something, "Right after you let us sign your cast!"

She held up a black permanent marker for all to see. The other two girls squealed at this and proceeded to fight about who would be first.

"What are they doing?" The hanyou looked at them warily.

"I gave up trying to figure them out a long time ago" Kagome said, looking just as wary.

* * *

"So" Kagome said, flipping through her homework folder, "What should I start with first?"

"Uh…should I answer that?" Inuyasha stared at the back of her head.

"I guess I should get math done with" she continued, ignoring him. She took out a few sheets of paper and smoothed them out on her desk before pulling a pen out from the top drawer.

The hanyou leaned back against the wall next to the bed and closed his eyes, until a strange grunting sound made the ears on the top of his head swivel.

"Dang it!" the miko yelled in frustration as she slammed the pen down on the desk.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes still closed.

"I can't write with my left hand!" Kagome wailed, letting her head drop down on the homework sheets.

The half dog demon sighed, he pulled himself up off the comfy bed and walked over to the miko and looked over her shoulder after she'd straightened up. He saw something that looked like a really squiggly one and then something that looked suspiciously like a four, or maybe it was an eight?

Kagome suddenly snapped her head up to look at him; her mouth was set in a thin line, almost in resignation.

"What?" the hanyou asked, a little scared about what she was thinking.

"You'll have to write it for me"

"What!" Inuyasha backed up several feet, "But I don't know anything about your _homework_"

The miko sighed, "You don't have to do my homework, just write what I dictate"

Seeing no other way around it and not really feeling like being 'sat', Inuyasha growled. Seriously, the things he did for his Kagome

"Fine, bitch"

* * *

"So he wants a bag with a red ball?"

"No, he already has the bag"

"Then what the hell is he whining for?"

"He's not whining! He just wants to take a red ball out of the bag" Kagome sighed, trying to explain the concept of probability to a half demon was worse than actually having to do the problems.

Inuyasha stared blankly at her, the pen was held unmoving above the sheet of paper.

"Now see here" Kagome said pointing at the homework sheet, "The problem says, 'A man has two bags, one with five red balls and seven white balls and the other bag contains eight red balls and four white balls. Considering that he chooses the first bag, what is the probability of pulling out a red ball from the bag?'"

"See he already has the first bag, and that bag has twelve balls in it out of which five are red. So the probability of pulling out a red ball from the bag is 5/12. Get it?"

The hanyou's eyebrow twitched.

"Alright then" Kagome put the sheets back inside the folder, "Lets see what we have in Physics"

* * *

"Ok, it says, 'A bird perches on a bare high power line but nothing happens to it while a man standing on the ground suffers a shock on touching the same line. Why?' Kagome read out from the sheet of paper.

"What the hell is a high power line?"

"It's sort of like a rope that carries electricity" the miko tried to explain.

"Eklek…what?"

"Electricity" Kagome corrected, "it's kind of like lightning"

"Ok, so the man dies if he touches one of these power things?" The hanyou asked.

"Well, it doesn't say here, but I guess so" It'd probably take her all night and maybe even the whole of next day to finish her homework at the rate this was going.

Kagome gave a resigned sigh.

"So is the bird a demon then?" Inuyasha distracted her from her depressing thoughts.

"What? No, it's just a regular bird"

"Then, why doesn't the bird die too?"

"Because it's in the air and air doesn't conduct electricity as good as the earth does and so the man standing on the ground gets a shock and the bird doesn't"

"Kagome…" Inuyasha stared at her, "That makes no sense at all!"

"Just write it!"

It was really hot, her broken arm was itchy and Inuyasha wouldn't let her scratch it, she had a ton of homework to do and being told that she made no sense grated menacingly on her already thinning patience.

"Alright, next question, 'A comb run through one's dry hair attracts small bits of paper. Why? What happens if the hair is wet or it is a rainy day?'"

"Is it a magic comb?"

"Oh for the love of…!" Kagome stuffed the sheets into the folder with a rather impressive growl.

* * *

"We should have started with English first anyway" the miko said as she smoothed the English homework down on her desk as best she could, having just one functioning arm.

"Keh" Inuyasha grunted, he personally liked those Physics questions. They were fun.

"Write down a favorite poem or song and explain why it's special to you in not more than a hundred words" Kagome read out, her voice breaking a little on the 'special'.

This day just kept getting better and better…

* * *

"Who the hell is this _Drew _guy you keep talking about? Are you hiding something from me Kagome?!"

"He's just a guy in the song Inuyasha" It was bad enough she had to spill her guts out like this, but did he _have_ to ask questions on each and every line of the song as well? The gods really hated her. Why else would they have made her break her _right _arm…

"Write the chorus again in the next line" she said, secretly admiring his penmanship. Really, her hanyou was just full of surprises.

"Right what's next?" Inuyasha asked, his pen already positioned in place waiting for her dictation.

"So I drive home alone, as I turn out the light"

She saw the pen glide along the paper as it inked in the words.

"I'll put his picture down and maybe get some sleep tonight"

Kagome closed her eyes, ever since she first heard this song; she couldn't help wonder at how well this fit her life. Just change the name 'Drew' with 'Inuyasha' and this would be her song.

"He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar, the only one who's got enough of me to break my heart"

"He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do"

"He's the time taken up, but there's never enough and he's all that I need to fall into"

"Drew" _Inuyasha _"Looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see…"

"Is that all?" the hanyou asked, putting the pen down and cracking his knuckles.

"We just have that hundred word paragraph left" Kagome said, her lips twitching up slightly.

And this was probably as good as it was ever going to get.

* * *

_She was his best friend, and that was all she would ever be to him. She loved him, but he loved someone else and there was nothing she could do about it. But that didn't stop her; she still loved him and she still hoped, still believed that he could somehow love her back. But in the end, it was all just wishful thinking. Life isn't a fairytale, and she wasn't the princess. Reality could be cruel. That is why this song is special to me, deep down she knows she might never get what she wants, but that doesn't stop her from believing…_

Inuyasha re-read what he had written, or rather, what Kagome had just said. Is that what _she _truly believed?

He sneaked a glance at the object of his affections, could it be that she thought of him the same way?

Kagome was going through her homework folder, a slight crease to her forehead as she read through something. But he didn't miss the shine in her eyes or the faint scent of salt.

He absolutely hated it when she cried; it made him feel so useless, like he had failed to protect her. Especially when those tears were because of him, he bit back a whine.

His amber orbs drifted to the cast and he saw the black scribbles that her friends had written on it. The miko had told him that it wouldn't hurt her arm in any way if someone wrote on the cast; in fact she had said that it was almost a tradition over here to have people sign your cast.

"H-hey Kagome"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, "Yeah?"

"Can _I _sign your cast?"

"What?" her face filled with surprise.

"Can I sign your cast?! Damnit, are you deaf wench?" he hated it when she made him repeat himself.

"Uh…O-Ok?" Now she sure wasn't expecting _that_…

She held out her cast to him and he held it carefully, being mindful of his claws and started etching whatever it was he wanted to write, onto an empty space with the pen.

Once he was done, he let go of her broken arm, the floor suddenly became very interesting.

She took back her arm and read what he wrote, her eyes widening in disbelief. She looked back up at him but he was looking everywhere but at her. A slight blush was marring his cheeks.

There, right in the middle of her friends' messy scribbles…

_Don't stop believing_

_-Inuyasha _

Her lips curved into a beautiful smile, "Thank you...Inuyasha"

"Keh" he snorted, "Whatever wench"

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and his heart nearly melted when he saw her smiling so happily down at her cast. Someday, he just might tell her how he truly felt, but until then...he hoped that sign on her cast would be enough.

"So..." he said after a few moments of silence, "Can we do more of those Physics questions now?"

* * *

AN: - I am so so sorry this took so long to update but had tests at school the whole of last month. But, I'm not really very satisfied with the way this chapter turned out, Somehow, the last two chapters seemed more...fun? But I guess that's what you get when you write a chapter about homework...ugh!

I promise though, the next chapter should be much better, so stay tuned!

**Thank you so much!** *passes out little Inuyasha cookies to all the amazing reviewers*

Please read and review

Till next time...


	4. The Date

**Broken**

**The Date**

"Are you sure you should be doing this?"

Kagome ignored the increasingly annoying half demon in favour of choosing a necklace from her jewellery box.

"Hey!"

She tried it on and assessed her appearance in the mirror.

"Hey wench! I'm talking to you idiot!"

Happy with the way she looked; she pushed the chair away from the dressing table and got up. She then proceeded to fill her handbag up with random things she might require at some point in the night. With one quick glance around her room, casually overlooking the fuming dog demon plopped on her bed; she went out and headed downstairs.

Inuyasha jumped off said bed and followed her, "Why are you ignoring me?"

She was in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water, she placed the glass back on the counter and turned to regard him cooly, "Because you are being silly"

"What!"

"I'm just going out with my friends, we went to the doctor yesterday, he took off my cast, examined my arm, said it was healing perfectly and put my arm in a smaller more flexible cast and assured us I could start using it again and by god Inuyasha, that's what I'm going to do!"

He stared at her, at a loss for words when the doorbell shook him back to reality.

"Oh, that must be them" Kagome stated and went to answer. Inuyasha continued staring at the spot she'd been standing in a few moments before but his ears twitched at the top of his head, listening to what was happening in the other room.

He heard the creak of the door being slid open.

"Oh, hey Yuka, where're the others?"

_Hmph, he hated her dumb noisy friends, why couldn't they just leave her alone? Its like they were always in her face.._

"Oh, did I not tell you?"

"…Tell me what?"

_And bringing her school work! Just when he tried so hard to make her forget about that evil place, they had to bring it home to her! Its like they all tried their best to make her miserable! Bunch of rat bastards!_

"We're double dating. Jun and Hojo will be here any minute"

_And always talking about some imaginary boyfriend all the time..like Kagome would ever be with an arrogant, selfish guy like that. Like he would ever let another guy near her…wait…what?_

"What!" Kagome shrieked at the same time a male voice yelled, "Hobo!" from somewhere behind her.

Oh god…she hoped he was at least hiding his ears…

* * *

How the hell did she always find herself in positions like this? Did she do something horrible in her previous life? Was she a bad person? Did she not listen to her parents when she was little?

Ok, maybe there was _one_ time when she might have given Souta a super wedgie and he couldn't walk for a week…but did that really warrant this kind of punishment?

"And that's why I thought those dried up lizard tails might help your food poisoning" Hojo stated proudly, a wide smile on his innocent face. He was completely oblivious to the fact that the only thing standing between him and a very painful death was the miko walking next to him.

Inuyasha on the other hand was livid…no seriously…he was just itching to spill the puny human boy's guts all over the sidewalk, and that would have already happened if Kagome wasn't holding his hand in a vice like grip and cutting off his blood circulation.

Better this than her holding Homo's hand, Inuyasha shivered involuntarily…picturing that made him want to throw up…

After Hojo's little speech on how he found out about the medicinal qualities of dried lizard tails, an awkward silence enveloped them…or maybe it was just awkward for her. Inuyasha seemed perfectly content glaring daggers at Hojo and Hojo just seemed too happy to be walking next to her.

To pass the time, Kagome thought of different ways by which she could secretly poison Yuka during the course of the night.

They were in front of the theatre soon and Hojo and Jun went ahead to get the tickets. Yuka tried to make small talk with Inuyasha but after receiving only grunts for replies, she gave up and went to get some popcorn.

Kagome sighed and faced her hanyou, "I'm really sorry Inuyasha, I didn't know Yuka was going to do this." She stared down at the sidewalk when he gave no indication that he had even heard her. "I just wanted to go out with my friends…like old times when…my life wasn't so complicated" She sighed again and headed toward the snack counters.

Inuyasha looked after her, his ears drooping under the bandana he was wearing…what did she mean by that? Did she regret falling into the well? Did she regret being the protector of the sacred jewel? Did she regret…meeting him?

After getting the snacks and the tickets, they went to find their seats. Inuyasha literally shoved Hojo out of the way and plopped down in the seat next to Kagome. He thanked the lords that her friend decided to be useful just then and take the seat on Kagome's other side. Hojo was forced to sit next to Inuyasha and he looked slightly nervous at the prospect. Maybe he _did _have some survival skills after all.

The guys had bought tickets for 'Scream 4'. What was it with guys and wanting to take girls to scary movies anyway? Did they really think that girls scared that easily? Kagome rolled her eyes when Yuka made a grab for her boyfriend's arm when the first scene started.

When half the movie was over and Kagome was digging hungrily into her tub of popcorn (which she was supposed to share with Inuyasha but he kept complaining that it tasted like plastic…which made her wonder, when had he eaten plastic?) and trying to figure out who the killer was, she felt a nudge on her arm.

She jumped a little and turned to face the half demon though she couldn't really see him clearly in the darkness of the theatre but she was sure he could see her perfectly.

"Why did you say that?"

"Huh?" Kagome gave him a confused look, "say what?"

"Back there when you said you wanted a normal life! Are you stupid wench!" He yelled only to be shushed by the people sitting behind them who were all giving him very nasty glares.

Kagome giggled at Inuyasha's startled expression. She bet he'd never been shushed before in his life. Then she patted his arm to calm him down and said, "I didn't say that"

"Yes you did, you said you didn't want such a complicated life" he glared at her, no way was she getting away with lying to him.

"I didn't say I didn't want a complicated life, I just said that I wanted to go out with my friends, like we used to"

"Yeah…" Inuyasha turned to stare back at the screen, someone else was getting killed but he couldn't care less, this movie was so stupid anyway. Why couldn't they just kill the crazy psycho killer before he killed them? That logic seemed pretty simple to him.

He was brought back to the moment by Kagome's gentle touch on the back of his hand. "What's the matter Inuyasha?"

He looked at her face, illuminated by the colored lights from the screen, and his heart ached at how beautiful she looked in that instant. He couldn't believe how deeply he'd fallen for her. He was nothing without her. But…if she wasn't happy with how things were then…he had to let her be happy. His heart stopped beating for that one second when he realized…he had to let her go…

"It's nothing" he said as he placed his other hand over her own and moved it back onto her lap, squeezing lightly before letting go.

Kagome gave him a funny look but shrugged and turned back to the movie. She was used to his mood swings and she knew he would tell her eventually.

* * *

After the movie, Yuka and Jun wanted to go have dinner at WacDonalds but Kagome said her mom would have already made dinner for her and Inuyasha and that they had better be going. Hojo offered to walk her back but she told him to go have dinner with the others, she had Inuyasha with her anyway. Said hanyou threw a smug look at the other boy.

On their way back to the shrine, Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and entwined their fingers, the dog demon blushed, "Keh" and pulled his hand away.

The miko frowned at him, "Seriously Inuyasha, what's the matter with you? You're acting really funny"

He was trying, he really was but why the hell did she always have to make everything so damned difficult. He wanted to put her happiness first, Once they got to the shrine he was going to tell her she could live her own life with no obligations and then he planned on jumping into the well and destroying it so she wouldn't try to come back because of some twisted sense of guilt she always managed to feel.

And the more he thought about it, while sitting through that pointless movie, the more he realised that this was the best thing for her. She wouldn't be in danger anymore, she wouldn't get hurt and she could stay with her family, in her house with all the modern comforts that she was so used to. He could never make her as happy as she was here and he never wanted her to regret anything.

And even though letting her go would surely kill him, one day at a time, he could at least be peaceful in the thought that she was happy and safe.

And it was all these thoughts running amok through his head that made him utter the next few words.

"I don't want you to come back to the feudal era"

Kagome stared at him.

He stared right back.

A few crickets chirped in the distance.

"You…WHAT!"

Inuyasha fell over and sat down, hard, on the concrete sidewalk.

He didn't think he'd ever seen her _this_ angry before. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why she was so pissed at him. What did he say?

"Just because I broke my arm, you think I'm useless? That I can't fight demons anymore? You are such an insensitive JERK!" She wiped at her eyes with her good arm and started to stalk angrily away from him.

"Wah.." Inuyasha proclaimed intelligently and ran after her.

"What the hell are you talking about? It's not because of your arm idiot! You're the one who went on and on about how you wanted to stay here and have a normal life…"

"I already told you that's not what I meant!"

They heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. It was an old lady with her two little grandchildren. The kids were staring wide eyed at the bickering pair. The old lady 'tsked' and muttered something about young people and drama queens before dragging the kids away.

Kagome blushed, "Lets just get home"

* * *

Dinner was a silent affair, Kagome and Inuyasha studiously ignored each other. Kagome helped her mom clean the dishes, she did the drying because she still wasn't supposed to get her cast wet, and bid goodnight to her family before heading to her room. Inuyasha watched her progress from where he was sprawled out on the floor, playing video games with Souta.

He pretended to stretch and yawn after creaming Souta's player again ("You have to be cheating" Souta accused the half demon) and said he was tired and was going to sleep.

Kagome's mother gave him an extra pillow and blanket from the hall closet, the hanyou thanked her and was about to start up the stairs when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Sometimes, what a person says and what they're thinking are two completely different things" The woman, whose eyes mirrored Kagome's, smiled at him. He nodded at her and raced up the stairs.

The miko was under the covers but he could tell she wasn't asleep from her uneven breathing.

"Hey wench…"

"…"

"I know you're awake"

"…"

"Kagome…"

"…What?"

The hanyou sighed and went and sat on the floor next to her bed.

"What did you mean when you said that?"

He heard the rustling of cloth as Kagome stuck her head out from under the blankets but he was sitting with his back to her so he couldn't see her expression. It was better that way.

"I want to go back to a time when my life wasn't constantly in danger, when the only thing I had to worry about is whether I would pass tomorrow's test, and hanging out with my friends didn't involve, fighting with crazy, power hungry demons. I can't deny that I haven't thought these things"

Inuyasha's heart broke a little more with each word she said. He didn't want to hear anymore and he was just about to get up when…

"But I still wouldn't change anything about my life"

Inuyasha spun around and stared at her, "But you said…"

"I know what I said Inuyasha, but everytime I say or think these things I know I don't mean it. I could never be without seeing your or the others. I don't care about the danger because I know you're always there to protect me, and hanging out with you and the others is more fun than I've ever had in my life. Sometimes I get stressed and say or think things that you don't need to worry about. They're just empty words.

The hanyou could hardly believe what he was hearing. And he couldn't help the grin that was slowly spreading over his face.

"So I don't need to worry about what you said?"

Kagome smiled gently at him, "No"

Inuyasha smirked, "Is that for just this time or do you mean for everything you say?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shrieked and slapped his arm, "You're such a jerk" but then she started giggling.

"Good night Inuyasha"

"Good night Kagome"

_I could never be without you either…_

* * *

_**AN: -**_I knowI haven't updated in a really really long time but its just been so so busy what with starting university and stuff. I hope you guys will forgive me. Anyway I hope you like this chapter. I got it out with quite some writer's block.

**Please Review!**


	5. The Visit

_**Broken**_

_**The Visit**_

"And don't forget those coloring books" Kagome pointed them out to an annoyed hanyou.

"I don't understand why you had to get so much stuff" he whined as he stuffed said books into the 'Should have been full by now' yellow monstrosity of a backpack that Kagome carried around with her all the time. How did she lug this thing around anyway? She didn't_ look_ that strong…

"Its been a long time since I left Inuyasha, more than a month. I'd feel bad if I didn't bring the others anything. I'm so excited to be going back!" She grinned at him.

"Keh" He glanced furtively at the cast surrounding her arm, it still wasn't completely healed. He didn't understand why she wanted to go back anyway. Its not like they could look for the shards or fight any demons let alone Naraku with her arm in a cast. She just wanted to see the others and frankly, he couldn't see the point of that. But he wasn't going to say that and get 'sat' again.

He pushed in the last of the potato chips, closed the bag and slung it over his shoulder and promptly lost his balance. He glared at the miko when she giggled at him before stalking downstairs.

Kagome's mother was in the kitchen as usual. She came out to say goodbye to them and told Kagome to be careful and to listen to Inuyasha while she was there. It was his turn to smirk.

They walked over to the well house and Kagome stared down into the shadows. She yelped in surprise when Inuyasha picked her up bridal style.

"What are you doing?"

"You might hurt yourself jumping in"

"We've already been over this! I hurt my _arm _not my leg Inuyasha"

"Keh, I know that wench" and with that he jumped in and the ethereal blue light engulfed them both.

Once they were on the other side, Inuyasha jumped out and finally let Kagome down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, a fuzzy orange ball hurtled straight into her stomach. The miko winced.

The dog demon steadied her with a hand on her lower back and used his other hand to pull the fox kit away from her and shook him around. Hard.

"You stupid runt! Did you forget that Kagome is hurt!"

"Inuyasha, stop that" Kagome hit his shoulder to make her point. He dropped the fox, none too gently, onto the ground. She knelt down and stroked his hair, "Are you okay Shippou?"

The kit started sniffling, "I-I'm sorry K-K-Kagome, I-I-I just missed you so muuuch!" The sniffle turned into full out bawling. Kagome glared at the half demon and pulled Shippou into a hug with her good arm.

"You didn't hurt me honey, see I'm fine. Now stop crying." She looked around helplessly when the kit wouldn't stop and her eyes landed on her backpack, "Don't you want to see what I got you?"

The fox demon immediately stopped and grinned up at her, "Did you get me chocolate?"

Inuyasha huffed. Stupid manipulative runt.

"Kagome!" Someone called out. Sango and Miroku were making their way toward them. Kagome stood up and went to go hug Sango who hugged her back just as enthusiastically, "I missed you" The taijiya said, pulling back.

Miroku cleared his throat and smiled suggestively at the miko, "Don't I get a hug? I missed you too"

Before Kagome could answer, a clawed fist came crashing down on the monk's head. Kagome sighed as Miroku swooned to the ground.

"Come on Kagome" Sango pulled her in the direction of Kaede's hut, "I wanna show you the flower garden Kaede let me plant next to her herbs"

An unconscious Miroku lay forgotten.

* * *

"So that thing is supposed to heal your arm?" Shippou asked the miko, tentatively poking at the cast.

Kagome sighed, "No Shippou.." she started to explain what the cast was for, for what seemed like the tenth time but she was interrupted.

"Its supposed to keep her bones in the right position while they heal on their own stupid" Inuyasha snapped before adding, "Now stop bothering Kagome with dumb questions""

Kagome smiled at him, "He's right, though that last part was uncalled for" she ended sternly.

"Feh" The half demon grunted.

"So when do we start our journey again" Miroku asked, "I believe I heard some shard rumours originating from the villages south west of here"

"Well, it'll be a few more weeks before the cast can be removed" Kagome stated, before stretching her good arm. "I've really missed this place, the clean air and the forest and the grass, everything is just so peaceful"

Sango smiled at the girl she'd come to regard as her sister, "Kagome, do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure Sango" She said before getting up. Inuyasha watched her warily, debating with himself whether to follow them or not. His ears twitched as the two women left the hut, the straw mat falling back in place in front of the door after their departure.

He was just about to get up and leave himself when a hand on his shoulder stopped him, "So" the monk said seriously, raising an eyebrow at his half demon companion, "What exactly did you do in Kagome's time for the past month?"

Inuyasha looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Miroku cleared his throat, "You had the chance to be alone with her, something must have happened?"

The hanyou turned beet red and threw the monk's hand off his shoulder, "I'm not a pervert like you!" He yelled before stalking out of the hut, snarling under his breath.

Miroku sighed to himself, "If I had a chance like that…" he never got to finish his sentence as a rock came flying from outside the hut and promptly knocked him out.

"He'll never learn" Shippou stated glancing at the monk's sprawled body on the floor before going back to his colouring.

* * *

"So how's it been having Inuyasha in your time Kagome?" The demon slayer asked her friend, a slight teasing tone in her voice.

Kagome blushed, "He's his usual self, overprotective, loud, and demanding. He insisted on carrying me around those first few weeks even though it's my arm I hurt!" she complained, but she couldn't help the small smile that found its way to her lips.

Sango saw it too and smiled herself, "You know it's because he cares a lot for you Kagome, it's so obvious how he feels for…" Sango stopped mid-sentence.

Kagome looked up to see why her friend was suddenly so quiet and saw that she was staring off into the forest. Kagome followed her gaze and her heart skipped a beat. There, floating gracefully between the trees was a soul stealer.

"What does she want now?" Sango asked, a slight edge to her tone.

"To see Inuyasha" Kagome answered, but she couldn't help her voice from breaking slightly.

"Then why is that thing stalking us?" Sango unconsciously took a step forward, partially hiding Kagome as the soul stealer inched its way closer to them.

The soul stealer stopped at the edge of the forest and continued to watch them. Kagome felt a shiver crawl up her spine as she realised what Kikyo must want, "She wants to talk to me" she said in a whisper but Sango heard her anyway.

"No!" She pushed her arm out in front of the miko, blocking her way, "You can't Kagome, she's already tried to hurt you before"

Kagome looked like she hadn't heard her, but then she turned to look at the demon slayer, a determination in her eyes that wasn't there before, "She won't hurt me, not so close to the village"

She pushed Sango's arm down and started walking toward the forest, toward the soul stealer. She stopped and turned to smile at the older woman, "I'll be fine Sango, you go back to the hut"

* * *

Inuyasha landed on a sturdy branch and started sniffing the air, trying to find the girls' scent when he heard frantic footsteps coming in his direction. He landed on the ground and was surprised to see Sango…and no Kagome.

"Oi Sango!" he yelled getting her attention.

She looked up startled before her eyes focussed on him. He walked toward her with a frown on his face, "Where's Kagome? Don't tell me you left her by herself?" He started to snarl.

Sango was silent, before she answered quietly, "She went to speak with Kikyo"

The half demon's eyes widened as he cursed inwardly, what could Kikyo want with Kagome?

He didn't spare Sango another second as he whizzed past her, his nose and ears working in overdrive. He had to find her. She was hurt and he didn't trust Kikyo with her. He wouldn't let her get hurt again damnit! He couldn't…

* * *

Kagome followed the soul stealer at a cautious pace, she might have sounded confident while telling Sango that she would be fine, but inside, her heart was beating a mile a minute. She saw the serpent like demon wind its way through the trees before she noticed a clearing just ahead of them. She stopped walking just as she entered the clearing and her breath hitched as she saw the woman that looked so much like her, staring back at her cooly. Her eyes were expressionless, like they always were.

The modern day miko started to fidget when only silence stretched between them. Kikyo regarded her with disinterest before her grey eyes landed on her cast.

Kagome couldn't take it anymore, the silence was deafening, she had to break it.

"What do you want?" she hated that her voice chose that moment to quiver.

"What happened to your arm?" Kikyo countered with another question.

"An accident" she said, subconsciously moving her injured arm behind her back, out of view.

"I think its time you go back to where you came from" The bluntness in the dead miko's tone cut through Kagome like a knife.

She stared at the woman standing in front of her in shock before she found her voice, "I don't think that that's your decision"

"You don't belong here, this is not your battle to fight" Kikyo started walking toward her and she had to stop herself from moving back. She would not be afraid.

"You don't need to be here and be forced to witness all the horrible things in this world" Kikyo's voice became softer, as if she was trying to convince Kagome.

"You can have a happy life, don't you see that? Away from all this war and suffering. I do not know why you still remain here"

Kagome clenched her uninjured hand into a fist, who was this woman to tell her what she sould do? "You don't belong here either Kikyo"

The priestess' eyes narrowed as she regarded her reincarnation with something close to contempt.

"I understand, its not fair that you had to die so young when you still had a lot of things you wanted to do" Kagome's voice got stronger as she continued, "But this is not the time to take care of your unfinished business. You can't move forward and you aren't letting Inuyasha move forward either. He deserves to be happy and that won't happen if you keep coming around and reminding him how much you hate him, and for something he didn't even do!"

Her voice echoed around her as she started breathing heavily.

Kagome's head whipped to the side as Kikyo's clay hand came in contact with her face, "Shut up! That is none of your business little girl"

"Kikyo!"

The miko turned at hearing her name, and was shocked to find the hanyou in question glaring back at her.

"Get away from her" he growled out, "Now"

* * *

**AN**: - I have no words to apologise, but I really have been very busy and I'm suffering from the longest spells of writer's block. This chapter took me months to write and it isn't all that long either. This story just has a few more chapters so don't worry, I have things planned out and I will finish it.

Meanwhile, I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed and also for not giving up on this story or me, reading your reviews inspires me better than anything else ever could!

So please review, the more I get, the faster the next chapter will come out! :-)

**Thank you so much!**

Till Next Time...


	6. The Confession

_**Broken**_

_**The Confession**_

Inuyasha barrelled through the trees, not caring if he left a path of destruction in his wake. He didn't know why Kikyo chose now to come back to the village of her birth or why she wanted to talk to Kagome alone but his demon instincts were on edge and he didn't like that feeling. It made him nervous.

He caught Kagome's scent and the scent of clay, bones and graveyard soil and sped up. He hoped to god that there was no spiritual barrier surrounding them, his patience was running out fast.

"You can't move forward and you aren't letting Inuyasha move forward either. He deserves to be happy and that won't happen if you keep coming around and reminding him how much you hate him, and for something he didn't even do!"

The half demon's eyes widened. That was Kagome's voice. What was going on? He'd never heard her speak that way to Kikyo before, she was always so…meek around her.

Was she defending him? Despite the situation, he felt a little flutter in the pit of his stomach.

He skidded to a stop at the clearing, where he knew they were, and looked up to witness Kikyo slap Kagome, _hard_ across the face.

He froze, every muscle in his body bunching up. His vision swam in a red haze for a second before he grabbed onto the tetsusaiga at his waist.

How dare she?!

HOW DARE SHE?!

"Kikyo!" he snarled out her name, startling her into finally noticing he was there. He tried to suppress the anger boiling to the surface.

"Get away from her. Now."

No one could hurt Kagome. NO ONE.

His eyes raked over the teenager, trying to see if Kikyo had done anything else to her. She was standing still, her posture rigid. She didn't look up at him, her eyes stayed focussed on the ground and were covered by her bangs so he couldn't see her emotions and that just added to his frustration and anger.

"Kagome" he called out, his voice coming out a little harsher than he intended. She looked up at him then, her eyes meeting his briefly before she looked away. But that was enough for him to see all the pain, doubt and sadness reflected in her chocolate pools, and a little part of him broke inside.

He really was useless. He couldn't protect her from Kikyo, he couldn't protect her from her own damn feelings, he couldn't even protect her from a stupid spider. He knew she was better off without him, but he was just too selfish to let her go. He couldn't survive without her. It would be impossible.

"Inuyasha…"

His gaze snapped to the undead miko that uttered his name, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Where have you been? I've been trying to find you for weeks now"

He stayed silent, looking away into the trees.

"This girl is distracting you from our mission. Each day that passes, Naraku just keeps getting stronger. We need to defeat him…or doesn't that matter to you anymore?"

She added that last part in a soft voice but he heard her just the same. He took a few steps toward her, "Of course I still want to kill Naraku! How could you think otherwise?"

His eyes hardened as he continued, "But Kagome isn't distracting me. She wants to see Naraku dead just as much as us, so you leave her out of this Kikyo. Its not her you're angry with, its me. You had no right to touch her!"

Kikyo stared at him in shock. He had never raised his voice against her in all the time she had known him. And now he stands against her to defend this pathetic human girl. What had she done to him to make him change so drastically?

"I was trying to convince her to go back where she belongs. We both know that that's not here. This place is too dangerous for her. Surely you agree with me"

Inuyasha's eyes flickered to Kagome before landing on her injured arm. He hated to admit it but she was right. This place was too dangerous for her. But he couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him.

"I protect her" But it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

"You can't protect her all the time" Kikyo countered. She saw his uncertainty and it gave her confidence.

Kagome gritted her teeth. They were talking like she wasn't even there! What was she? Chopped liver? She wasn't a child. She knew about the horrors of war and the dangers of this era. She had seen more gore and suffering than all the people in her school put together saw in movies. And to have them talk about her future like she couldn't make any decisions for herself was degrading.

"I'm staying" the miko said, a tone of finality in her voice.

"This isn't just your battle, or Inuyasha's battle. I agree that Naraku never did anything personally to target me but he's hurt everyone I care about! He cursed Miroku's entire family and he had to watch his father get sucked into the black hole in his own hand and now he might be facing the same fate. Sango, who's family was slaughtered by her own brother who is still under Naraku's control. Kouga's entire clan was murdered by Naraku. I want to see him dead just as much, if not more that you because I can't stand to see my friends get hurt and I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt them"

The teenager ended in a quiet, menacing tone. She met two pairs of shocked eyes with a firm glare of her own.

"I can't control Inuyasha's decisions any more than he can control mine" she started walking toward the dog demon but her expression was unreadable, "So stop trying". She continued walking right past him, not even sparing him a glance.

"Kagome.." he reached out to grab her wrist but she wrenched it out of his hold.

"I'm going back to the village" and with that, she disappeared into the trees.

All was silent in the clearing after the miko's sudden departure, except the rustling of leaves that faded as she moved farther away from them. A part of him wanted to follow her, his youkai was screaming at him to go after her, to make sure nothing could hurt her again. But a bigger part of him wanted to finish this conversation. Permanently.

He knew the longer he skirted around it, the more hurt she would get and he couldn't see her eyes look at him that way again. And even Kikyo didn't deserve this, he couldn't lead her on forever.

"Inuyasha…"

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, a determined gleam shining in them that made the dead miko nervous.

"I can't go to hell with you"

If she had a heart, she knew it would have skipped a beat at his words. But her clay body was unable to feel the emotions that were a turbulent mess in her soul. She could hardly speak, the words like sand paper in her throat, "Why not?"

It took a while for him to answer, almost as if he was having an argument with himself. A myriad of emotions flashed across his face and then, one final emotion took their place. Contentment.

"I love her"

And those three words felt like sharp arrows, that pierced her chest where her heart would have been. She had shot a real arrow through his chest and pinned him to the sacred tree all those years ago and this felt like some cruel form of revenge. She had aimed that arrow for his heart because she wanted it. She couldn't let anyone else have it and so she sealed it away. If she couldn't have his heart, then no one could.

Even though their trust was so easily broken, even though she could never have accepted him completely as a half demon, even though it was impossible to believe, she _had _fallen in love with him and the piece of soul she possessed still loved him. They could have been happy together, if he had used the jewel to become human.

They could have led long, content, human lives together, grown old together and died together in complete peace. That was what was supposed to happen. Not this.

.

.

.

It wasn't supposed to be like this..

.

.

.

It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Her soul screamed but she schooled her features to remain stoic. She would not show weakness. She couldn't.

"When did your feelings change so drastically?" she asked, as if enquiring about the weather, "I didn't take you for such a fickle creature" she couldn't help adding the little jab at the end.

"I-I um…" he stuttered for a few seconds, but then clenched his clawed fists at his side, "I guess I've felt like this for a long time. I just never realised it. It took her breaking her arm for my stupid brain to catch up with my heart…" he trailed off, a slight snarl in his tone.

Kikyo remained silent. And that was all the urging he needed to continue.

"She was different. I knew that from the moment I met her. She accepted who I was, what I was, no questions asked. Sometimes I think she even forgets that I'm a half demon and I forget too, when I'm with her. For once in my life, I felt normal. It was a nice feeling."

Kikyo winced slightly, but other than that, her face remained expressionless.

"Then, I started noticing other things about her, how strong she was, how determined, how she never backed down from a fight. Her compassion and generosity seemed endless and I was awestruck. How could someone like her even exist? Was she even human or an angel in disguise?"

The undead priestess observed him as he spoke. It was like he was on the other side of the world and not right in front of her. His eyes looked glazed and his tone was reverent. As if sensing her thoughts, the half demon seemed to snap out of it and started blushing intensely.

Kikyo raised her eyebrow at this, she had never seen that shade of dark red dust the hanyou's cheeks before. It made him look innocent, vulnerable.

It didn't look like Inuyasha was going to say anything else and Kikyo decided it was best she leave. There was no point in her staying any longer. She was about to turn when his gruff voice stopped her.

"I don't deserve her"

His eyes turned pleading, as if begging her to understand, asking her for forgiveness and saying goodbye all at once.

"But I love her"

Kikyo sighed, it was a resigned sigh. As if she had been fighting for a long time and she just wanted to give up, because there was no way she could win.

"Then you should tell her"

At her words, the hanyou started blushing madly again and she couldn't help the fond smile that made its way onto her lips.

"Keh"

She turned then and started to leave the clearing, her soul stealers following her.

"Where will you go?" He asked but she knew the hidden question behind it, '_How long will you stay in this world?'_

"I want to see Naraku dead. Then I shall be at peace" and with that, she was gone, her soul snatching demons engulfed her and she disappeared in a burst of light.

Inuyasha stared at the spot she was standing in and then started sprinting through the forest in the opposite direction.

Time to find Kagome. He hoped she made it back to the village safely.

* * *

Kagome started throwing random stuff into her backpack. She had reached Kaede's hut a few moments ago and was bombarded by questions from her friend. When Shippou innocently asked her where Inuyasha was and why wasn't he with her, her heart clenched painfully and she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stay here, she couldn't face him when he came back after being with _her_.

So she told her friends that her arm was starting to hurt and she was going back home. They didn't try to stop her and for that she was grateful. She slung her bag over her shoulder and left the hut, the straw mat snapping back into place after her hasty departure.

She walked at a fast pace back to the well, a small part of her hoping that Inuyasha would jump out of nowhere like he usually does and stop her before she reached the well but all such hopes disintegrated at the sight of the wooden construction a few feet in front of her.

She reached the well and threw her backpack into it before climbing over the lip herself. She stared at the darkness at the bottom and looked back at Inuyasha's forest. Everything was peaceful in the little clearing, only the occasional sound of birds twittering broke the silence.

She slipped into the darkness, the familiar blue light engulfed her as a single tear slid down her cheek.

Would he even come to get her this time?

* * *

**AN: -** Wow! I don't know if this chapter is any good but I was so inspired to write this. That's the reason I could get it out so soon. I'm watching the whole Inuyasha series again, from the very first episode because I was in a nostalgic mood last weekend and I saw the episode where Kikyo gets brought back to life and at the end where Inuyasha has a flashback of how he met Kikyo and him saying that 'it wasn't supposed to be like this' totally got me in the mood to write this chapter! I hope Kikyo was in character. I don't particularly like her but this isn't an AU fic so I couldn't really do any unfair bashing.

And I tried not to make Inuyasha's dialogues too mushy but if you found them OOC then I apologise. I just felt that at some point he had to show his true feelings and him telling all this to Kikyo also kind of makes sense because she was the first friend he had, even though it was a long time ago.

But I think I got him back in character at the end.

Anyway, I love all the reviews I got for the previous chapter! I told you I would update fast if I got a lot :-D

Next chapter will be up sooner than this if you guys just keep those reviews coming! They're like chocolate chip cookies to an inspiration starved mind!

And to the guest who reviewed under the name '**Your biggest fan', **Wow! You have no idea how flattered I felt reading your review! I really hope you like this chapter and it brings a smile to your face just like your review brought a smile to mine :-)

**Please Read and Review!  
**

Till Next Time...


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